1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to mountable supports used to support storage containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people use plastic containers to store items when the items are not in use. Storage containers may contain holiday decorations, winter clothes, sports equipment, or other items that are not used on a daily basis. Storage containers are often stacked on top of each other making it difficult to access the lower containers. When stacked, they tend to physically deform due to the excessive weight placed on top of them. Most storage containers are not designed to bear significant weight and withstand a sustained vertical load. Stacked storage containers can also be an unstable safety hazard when children play on or around the containers. Shelves and shelving units may be used to house storage containers. Shelves allow the containers to be raised off the ground and reduce the vertical load applied to each container. However, there are significant drawbacks to placing storage containers on shelves and shelving units. Even if most of the containers are raised off the ground, the shelves still take up valuable floor space. The shelves are also prone to collecting dust and dirt. Similar to the stacked containers, shelves are susceptible to being knocked over possibly injuring playing children. Keeping precariously positioned objects out of reach of small children is a significant concern of parents.
Some Do It Yourself (“DIY”) projects do exist that allow containers to be mounted to the ceiling of a garage. These projects are typically made of wood and are assembled by the user. Completing these projects requires the user to have the proper power tools on hand, be familiar engineering principles, and have the proper knowledge and skill to safely assemble the wooden components. Even if these projects are safely completed, many are unsightly and some downright ugly. Furthermore, the fact that they are made from wood reduces their performance due to the increased friction created by the wood surfaces when a container is slid across them.
Other inventions have sought to solve the problem of how to create storage space on or adjacent the ceiling of a room. For instance, the system described in the US 2008/0036341 application uses mounting rails attached to a ceiling. However, the shape of the mounting rails is inferior for many reasons and does not sufficiently solve the problem of how to safely and efficiently create storage space on the ceiling of a room. For example, the system in the '341 application uses an “L”-shaped mounting rail that can be twisted or torqued when it is engaged with a storage container potentially spilling the container to the ground.
In addition, the lateral thickness of the unit precludes the ability to serially mount units directly onto standard spaced ceiling joists on the ceiling of a home or garage and still use common storage containers. More specifically, storage containers are manufactured by a wide variety of companies including Rubbermaid, Hefty, and CONTICO and come in generally standard sizes. A common sized plastic storage container or tub has typical dimensions of 16.5 inches tall, by 23.9 inches long by 15.9 inches wide. If the mounting structures are secured to standard 16 inch ceiling joists in standard construction, and the mounting structures are too thick, the container cannot be positioned between the mounting structures.
The system described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,203 suffers from similar fallbacks. In the '203 patent, the invention is a “rail-like storage unit” that uses joined metal rods. Since the head of the screw used to mount this system is so close to the ceiling, the screw adds no torsional support to the unit to resist torquing of the structure when under load by the container. Instead, the system relies solely on the metal rods to prevent the unit from becoming dangerously displaced during application of a storage container. In addition, the mounting elements are also wide which preclude these elements from being mounted on standard spaced joist and accommodating the commonly available and dimensioned storage containers currently on the market. Finally, if the mounting screw is not perfectly tight, the unit will have a tendency to wobble, increasing the risk of a storage container falling.
The public would benefit from a system that utilizes otherwise wasted space in their homes that is economical, easily installed, prefabricated, and versatile. This application seeks to address these concerns and desires by presenting an invention that is ready to install out of the box, is may be used in multiple formats, and integrates well with common home structures.